As will be indicated later, although the present invention has broader application, it arose in connection with the simulation of creatures. This area of art will now be discussed.
One of the problems with studying life sciences is that changes in ecosystems and the evolution of life forms takes place over long periods of time. Consequently, life processes have been simulated in a variety of formats, thus allowing the study of the interaction of creatures and the emerging population patterns.
An animat is an artificial creature which exhibits an active and purposeful behavior in an environment which presents it with problems—obstacles, navigation, hazards, goals. Animats are often inspired by biological organisms, which are observed to solve complex problems in real physical environments. Indeed, animats may be designed to be as close as possible to the original biological organisms, so as to model the potential behavior and/or evolution of such organisms.
It will be understood that use of the word “animat” is intended to mean not only artificial creatures that are directly inspired by real biological creatures, but also imaginary animals and other autonomous agents such as real or imagined robots or “cyborgs” (part animal, part machine).
In order to make such simulations as accurate as possible, it is desirable to lavish as much computational resource on each artificial creature as is available. The method of simulating an animat depends on the available computational resources. If a significant amount of processing power is available, it is possible to perform a high-fidelity simulation (Hi-Fi Sim). Such a high-fidelity simulation will include the use of computationally expensive techniques for behavior selection, sensing and interaction with the environment and other animats, e.g. use of a form of 3D rigid-body physics simulation to model the environment and the various parts of the body of the animat; use of ray-tracing computer graphics to synthesize visual sensory input; the simulation of the transmission, absorption, and reflection of sound waves, etc.
If only a relatively small amount of computational power is available, then a relatively low-fidelity simulation (Lo-Fi Sim) would be utilized to ensure that the simulation progresses at a reasonable rate. Such a Lo-Fi Sim will use computationally less expensive techniques, such as only using a two dimensional (2D) model of the environment, and employing a simplified model of the body of the animat e.g. treating it as a point mass with redetermined locomotion characteristics (speed, rate of turn etc).
It is desirable that any predetermined type of animat will function in a consistent manner regardless of the level of simulation.